Wednesday, December 31, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesdays




The old house, with its wildly overgrown garden, was silent, secretive, and exactly what I’d wanted. I’d had to see it for myself before I agreed to take it over from my grandmother.

I stepped inside and smiled at the cobwebs and spiders scurrying about. This was perfect. I needed to be alone to practice my magic, and the creepy, haunted feeling was enough to keep anyone away.


Yes, this would do nicely. I signed the papers and zapped them to my attorney. With a flick, my bags were unpacked, and a fire roared in the fireplace. Time to begin.

Now check out the rest of the stories!

Wendy Knight, Author: www.wendyknightauthor.blogspot.com

Kelly Martin, Author: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Alison Woods (Peering Into. . .): http://alisonmillerwoods.wordpress.com/

Jessica Winn, The Distracted Writer:http://thedistractedwriter.com/

R.K. Grow: http://www.rkgtheauthor.com/

Stephanie Worlton's Kreating Krazy blog: http://stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/

Leah Sanders, inklings: http://inklings-leahsanders.blogspot.com/

Laura D. Bastian http://www.lauradbastian.com/

Jaclyn Weist  http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

Amryn Scott http://wildscottkids.wordpress.com/

K.R. Wilburn  http://www.krwilburnbooks.com/blog

Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters http://lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com

Miranda D. Nelson http://www.mirandadnelson.blogspot.com/

Angela Schroeder http://angelaschroederauthor.blogspot.com/

Ginny Romney http://romneyrants.blogspot.com/

Canda Mortensen http://candamortensen.blogspot.com

Jenna Eatough http://mistglenmoon.net/blog/

Starimprint: http://starimprint.blogspot.com/

Kaye P. Clark: http://kayepclarkwriter.blogspot.com/

Jenifer Lee: www.myfam-i-lee.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Christmas Prompt, Mad Lib Style

Last week for Christmas, my family threw a talent show for each other. All the kids were involved and some of the adults did as well.

For my talent, I had everyone shout out words and I had to write a story using every one of the words. I gave myself just a few minutes and came up with this:

Words:

peaches
Snuffleupagus
lamppost
Polar bear
tree
bacon
dog
star
banana
tractor

Story:

Santa scratched his head at this year’s Christmas list. The requests were a little different than he’d had before and he didn’t know how he would make it all work. There was a knock at the door, so he answered it, but no one was there. He looked around outside and found a small dog under a lamppost. How had he gotten so far north?

Santa stepped outside and whistled for his polar bear, Steve, and waited for him to come. He pulled a banana out of his pocket and took a bite.


“You called?” said the polar bear.


“Could you help this poor puppy find his way home?” Santa asked. He motioned to the puppy. “He could probably use some bacon if you can find some.”


The polar bear nodded and walked off with the puppy yipping happily at his heels.


Santa went back inside to study his list again. Where in the world was he going to find peaches at this time of year? Brazil? Maybe. He’d have to stop off there before heading off to Russia. He went to his shop and shrunk his tractor so he could put it in his bag. He’d need that to get through to the peach farms. He knew they were hidden by the Tooth Fairy at this time of year and she had pretty tough security.


At last the sleigh was filled to the brim and Santa climbed in. He directed his reindeer to Brazil and flew there swiftly. He only had a small amount of time and this could take a bit. He found a small clearing near the rain forest.


He took off his hat and jacket—it was blazing hot—and took out his slingshot. He only had one star left for ammo and he had to make sure he had a good shot. He hefted the bag with his tractor on to his shoulder and headed off to find the tree he knew had the best fruit.


Once he was inside the barrier, he pulled his tractor out and unshrunk it. He climbed in and put it on stealth mode before moving forward. He moved quickly over the rough terrain until he found the tree he was looking for.


But the way was blocked. He pulled out his sling, grinned, widely, and said, “So, we meet again, Snuffleupagus.” Christmas would be a little late this year.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesdays

I had fun with today's post.







He didn't want to go out on such a night, but he had no choice. He had business to do and no blizzard would stop him. He quickly slipped on his warmest clothes and went in search of his hat and boots. The job wouldn’t be done without him.

He kissed his wife goodbye, promising that he’d be back as quickly as he could and waved at his employees.


One step out into the storm told him he couldn’t do it alone. He’d have to get help. He walked out to the shop and turned on the lights. “Ready, Rudolph?”



Now check out the rest of the stories!

Wendy Knight, Author: www.wendyknightauthor.blogspot.com

Kelly Martin, Author: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Alison Woods (Peering Into. . .): http://alisonmillerwoods.wordpress.com/

Jessica Winn, The Distracted Writer:http://thedistractedwriter.com/

R.K. Grow: http://www.rkgtheauthor.com/

Stephanie Worlton's Kreating Krazy blog: http://stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/

Leah Sanders, inklings: http://inklings-leahsanders.blogspot.com/

Laura D. Bastian http://www.lauradbastian.com/

Jaclyn Weist  http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

Amryn Scott http://wildscottkids.wordpress.com/

K.R. Wilburn  http://www.krwilburnbooks.com/blog

Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters http://lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com

Miranda D. Nelson http://www.mirandadnelson.blogspot.com/

Angela Schroeder http://angelaschroederauthor.blogspot.com/

Ginny Romney http://romneyrants.blogspot.com/

Canda Mortensen http://candamortensen.blogspot.com

Jenna Eatough http://mistglenmoon.net/blog/

Starimprint: http://starimprint.blogspot.com/

Kaye P. Clark: http://kayepclarkwriter.blogspot.com/

Jenifer Lee: www.myfam-i-lee.blogspot.com/



Wednesday, December 17, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesdays



She kept checking her phone and email, wishing someone would make contact. She had slipped onto Santa’s sleigh just before he took off, wanting an adventure. Instead, she was now trapped on a mountain in the middle of the Andes, with Santa unconscious. No one was responding to her pleas for help, and the night was passing quickly. The presents for the little boys and girls remained undelivered in Santa’s sack. With one more glance at her phone, she decided to take things into her own hands. She checked each reindeer and climbed inside. It was time to save Christmas.

Now check out the rest of the stories!

Wendy Knight, Author: www.wendyknightauthor.blogspot.com

Kelly Martin, Author: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Alison Woods (Peering Into. . .): http://alisonmillerwoods.wordpress.com/

Jessica Winn, The Distracted Writer:http://thedistractedwriter.com/

R.K. Grow: http://www.rkgtheauthor.com/

Stephanie Worlton's Kreating Krazy blog: http://stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/

Leah Sanders, inklings: http://inklings-leahsanders.blogspot.com/

Laura D. Bastian http://www.lauradbastian.com/

Jaclyn Weist  http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

Amryn Scott http://wildscottkids.wordpress.com/

K.R. Wilburn  http://www.krwilburnbooks.com/blog

Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters http://lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com

Miranda D. Nelson http://www.mirandadnelson.blogspot.com/

Angela Schroeder http://angelaschroederauthor.blogspot.com/

Ginny Romney http://romneyrants.blogspot.com/

Canda Mortensen http://candamortensen.blogspot.com

Jenna Eatough http://mistglenmoon.net/blog/

Starimprint: http://starimprint.blogspot.com/

Kaye P. Clark: http://kayepclarkwriter.blogspot.com/

Jenifer Lee: www.myfam-i-lee.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesdays



As he fell, he waited for the impending crunch of a dozen cracked eggs. He hit the ground and a tear dropped to the ground, knowing he’d lose his job. He was to collect eggs and he’d have enough money to provide Christmas for his family. He pushed up and grimaced at the smashed eggs that covered his body. But wait, what was that? He crawled over to a small burrow where several eggs lay untouched. He picked them up and put them back in his basket. The double-yolked egg he’d eaten that morning had indeed been lucky.



This prompt was fun because I had a challenge from Jenna to add a double-yolked egg into my story. Our chickens lay double-yolked eggs often and my kids fully believe that those eggs are lucky.

Now check out the rest of the stories!

Wendy Knight, Author: www.wendyknightauthor.blogspot.com

Kelly Martin, Author: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Alison Woods (Peering Into. . .): http://alisonmillerwoods.wordpress.com/

Jessica Winn, The Distracted Writer:http://thedistractedwriter.com/

R.K. Grow: http://www.rkgtheauthor.com/

Stephanie Worlton's Kreating Krazy blog: http://stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/

Leah Sanders, inklings: http://inklings-leahsanders.blogspot.com/

Laura D. Bastian http://www.lauradbastian.com/

Jaclyn Weist  http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

Amryn Scott http://wildscottkids.wordpress.com/

K.R. Wilburn  http://www.krwilburnbooks.com/blog

Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters http://lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com

Miranda D. Nelson http://www.mirandadnelson.blogspot.com/

Angela Schroeder http://angelaschroederauthor.blogspot.com/

Ginny Romney http://romneyrants.blogspot.com/

Canda Mortensen http://candamortensen.blogspot.com

Jenna Eatough http://mistglenmoon.net/blog/

Starimprint: http://starimprint.blogspot.com/

Kaye P. Clark: http://kayepclarkwriter.blogspot.com/

Jenifer Lee: www.myfam-i-lee.blogspot.com/

Obsidian Threads by Charlie Pulsipher

Today I have the chance to introduce you to Charlie. He's one of my favorite people! And his books are super awesome. He just had Obsidian Threads come out and I think you'll really enjoy it!



Here is the synopsis:


Book Blurb/Synopsis: Rho has awakened. Its acolytes will tear worlds apart to release their deity from its prison. Any hope of Rho's defeat lies with two people lost in a strange universe. Kaden and Aren must learn to harness all their unique gifts if they are to rival the god of darkness reborn.

They will not fight alone. A brilliant geneticist, a furry dwaro, two less than friendly elves, dragons, and a spunky red-haired computer stand with them. But if Kaden and Aren fail to reach their full potential, all of reality will be devoured until nothing remains but Rho.



Purchase Links:


Now for the fun! It's time for the interview:


What inspired you to write this series?

Dreams, all dreams. I had a dream where one company’s use of simulations began reaching into other worlds. Ghostly creatures, including long extinct dinosaurs, roamed the halls. But these simulations were doing damage to the fabric of the universe and the creatures began to be more real, more solid. I then had another dream where I could travel to alternate worlds by simply pulling up images of them in my head. The first world held trees the size of skyscrapers, buzzing red fireflies, and a spinning, red nebula that shot through the sky. It also happened to have giant, silver tigers that wanted to eat me. I woke up sweating. I combined the two dreams and the stories seemed to write themselves.

What's your favorite part of writing?
The zone. There are times when everything click and the words flow out as though the characters are in the same room with me, talking, running for their lives, and fighting off the villains. I like that place. I wish I could get there more often.

What's your least favorite part of writing?

I strongly dislike feeling lost in the huge sea of voices. Writers work for years to prepare our stories. We dump so much of ourselves into them. Then we toss them out and hope people find them. It happens slowly and it can be very lonely waiting to be liked.

Is there a character that you totally relate to?

All my characters have little pieces of me in them, even the villains. They aren’t the same pieces as I don’t want them to be similar, but those distinct bits of myself make it hard to pick favorites. Having said that, it’s totally Penny, my red-haired AI. She surprised me. She appeared on the page unplanned and then stole her identity from one of my villains. She is spunky, fun, emotional, feisty, and so loyal. She and I would so be friends.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Super typing? I have literally hundreds of story ideas that need to be written and my poor little fingers and my poor little brain can’t keep up. If that is too writerly of a superpower, then I would pick being able to open any door to any location of my choosing at any time. I like traveling, but I dislike the traveling part of it.

If you could travel anywhere in time, where would you go?

So going a good hundred years or so into the future! I need to know what happens next and the slow way is sooooooo slow. I want to know all about the cool new inventions. I want self-driving cars, nanowired t-shirts, metamaterial buildings, space elevators, asteroid colonies, and so much more. Make it happen for me, please.

Do you ever use friends or family in your books as characters?

Yes, but only pieces of them, much I like I do with myself. I did make the mistake of having a character share one of my brothers’ name. I may or may not have killed that character off later. It also may or may not have gone over all that well, even though I swear I did not think of my brother at all in the creation or termination of that character. If anything, it was more like a roommate I had with the same name. Oh well. I’ve learned to be more careful.

Thanks, Charlie!

Monday, December 8, 2014

Swoon Award Blitz


What Are the Swoony Awards?
The Swoony Awards were created to recognize excellence in clean fiction. There are so many books published every day and it can be hard to find the ones worth reading. We want to help recognize authors who write entertaining books that are wholesome. It’s our hope that each year we will help provide everyone with a great list of books to read and maybe introduce them to new authors.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
-Publication Year: Only books published during the current contest year may be nominated. To be fair to all books, contest dates will run from December 1, 2013 – November 31, 2014.
-Clean romance: No sex or closed door, low/mild innuendo. Only M/F romances.
-Language: None/mild, anything over a handful of profanity (especially the more offensive words) would not be considered clean.
-Violence: None/mild
-Other: Nothing overly dark, depressing or heavy subject matter

Novels, novellas and short stories are all eligible for nomination, no limits on page number. Any (clean) genre is eligible (i.e. contemporary, fantasy, mystery, historical, etc.).

Each voter is able to choose up to 100 books to vote on or nominate each contest year. There is no cap on the overall number of books nominated.

How Are Winners Selected?
We will be accepting entries throughout the year and the winners announced the first week in January. There are fifteen award categories (i.e. Best Novel of the Year, Best Historical, Best Contemporary, etc.). Winner’s will be announced via our blogs (Bookworm Nation, KJ’s Book Nook and Katie’s Clean Book Reviews) and through Goodreads Swoony Awards Group.

Since this is a reader’s choice award the winners are determined by a combination of the number of votes received and how high the voter rated the book and what rank the voter gave each book they voted for.

Who Are We?

Kathy 
Kathy (Bookworm Nation)
I've been hosting a book review blog, Bookworm Nation, for over five years. I love to read and review books. And of course, I love to discuss books! A few years ago I started the Goodreads group, Happily Ever After Book Club. It's through Goodreads that I met Katie, Kathy Jo and Heidi and while discussing our love of books one day we thought it'd be fun to host our own Reader's Choice award. We're excited to introduce the Swoony's this year, it's going really well and we look forward to hosting it for years to come. 
Contact Info for Kathy:
Twitter: @bookwormnation
Kathy Jo 
Kathy Jo (KJ's Book Nook)
This may come as a shocker but I have NOT always been a little bookworm. In fact growing up I was not the kid you saw jumping at the chance to read. I was the one that just did it to make my teachers happy. That silent reading time during school?! Yeah.. I was the kid napping! ;) About 12 years ago someone loaned me a book and said I just HAD to read it. I took it just to get them off my back and much to my surprise I could NOT put it down! And from then on I would read... but only that one author. I refused to read anything else! It wasn't until 2009 when 2 of my favorite people introduced me to the Twilight Series that I actually started branching out. And ever since then I haven't been able to STOP reading! ;) About 5 months ago I decided to start a book blog and I have been loving it! I get to be another voice for all the amazing authors that I love! How cool is that?! And of course through my adventures in reading I have been able to meet some amazing women who love books just as much as, if not more than, me! I love chatting with them about all the books we read! We have become such great friends that at times I forget that I've never really met them in person! Books just have a way of bringing people together! My reading choices vary... I love a lot of different genres.With that said... I am not ashamed to admit that I am a romantic and I love fluff! As long as it's clean and has a HEA, I'll definitely give it a try! Any book that gives me a break from reality and puts a smile on my face is definitely a book for me!   
Contact Info for Kathy Jo:
Email: kjsbooknook@gmail.com
Blog: kjsbooknook.blogspot.com 
Twitter: @kjincali

Katie Watkins 
Katie (Katie's Clean Book Collection)
I started blogging about a year and a half ago. I've always loved to read and talk about books--it's my obsession. The first book I learned to read on my own was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham. I love a lot of different genres, but my favorite is clean romance, which is perfect for the Swoony's! I've had a blast meeting new friends who enjoy the same types of books that I do.

Contact Info for Katie:
Email: lilacqueen75@gmail.com
Twitter: @lilacqueen75
Blog: www.katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/katiescleanbookcollection

Heidi 
Heidi 
I'm a mother of four amazing kids and married to my own Prince Charming. I love to read, kiss my handsome Prince, bake, run (because I love to bake), ride horses, play sports, and spend time with my little family. I first fell in love with reading at a very young age because of my sweet grandmother who always took the time to read me my favorite books over and over again. She could never tell me no. My wonderful mother is also entirely addicted to reading and we love to "talk books" late into the night....and plot how we are going to buy more. :) I adore clean, happily ever after books, and I've loved getting to know so many other women who do as well. Who knew books would be the reason I would meet some of the dearest people in the world?! 
Contact Info for Heidi:
Email: curlyhide9@hotmail.com

Note to Authors:
If you’ve written a book that matches the above criteria fill free to nominate it for a Swoony! Don’t be afraid to promote the award or to let your fans know your book is up and that it needs votes. We are doing some promoting, but sometimes a Facebook, Twitter or blog post directly from the author is the best way to let your fan base know your book has been nominated. Only books with a minimum of THREE votes will be added to the official nomination list found on the Goodreads Swoony Awards group page. Winners will be announced January 2015.

To stay up to date on voting and nominations, please join our Goodreads Swoony Awards group page!

Note to Readers:
If you’ve read a book this year that you think is awesome…VOTE! This is a great way to let authors know you appreciate all that hard work. You can vote for up to 100 books on the list. We’ve also learned that the order you rank the books you vote on does affect the overall score of the book. So take a minute and make sure you have your books in the order you want them. Invite your friends to vote! Voting ends December 31, 2014.

The 2014 Swoony Awards is now accepting nominations and votes for your favorite books of the year. Polls will be open until December 31, 2014. 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

As a thank you for making the Swoony Awards a success,
we'd like to offer an Amazon gift card! The winner will
have 48 hours to claim the prize. Only valid
where Amazon gift cards may be used. You must
be 13 or older to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

WonHundred Word Wednesdays




Lisa ducked and hurried away, wiping a tear. His voice had never sounded so cold as he ordered her to leave his home. The insults he threw at her were worse than physical blows.

She hadn’t meant to break the glass vase, but the fact that she’d been fired was heartless. It was Christmas after all. She needed the money to buy presents for her family. They’d have to deal with homemade gifts again, but they always found a way to be happy.

No, she wouldn’t focus on the hatred in his eyes. She never wanted that job anyway.

Now check out the rest!

Wendy Knight, Author: www.wendyknightauthor.blogspot.com

Kelly Martin, Author: www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

Alison Woods (Peering Into. . .): http://alisonmillerwoods.wordpress.com/

Jessica Winn, The Distracted Writer:http://thedistractedwriter.com/

R.K. Grow: http://www.rkgtheauthor.com/

Stephanie Worlton's Kreating Krazy blog: http://stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/

Leah Sanders, inklings: http://inklings-leahsanders.blogspot.com/

Laura D. Bastian http://www.lauradbastian.com/

Jaclyn Weist  http://jaclynweist.blogspot.com

Amryn Scott http://wildscottkids.wordpress.com/

K.R. Wilburn  http://www.krwilburnbooks.com/blog

Lindzee Armstrong/Lydia Winters http://lindzeearmstrong.blogspot.com

Miranda D. Nelson http://www.mirandadnelson.blogspot.com/

Angela Schroeder http://angelaschroederauthor.blogspot.com/

Ginny Romney http://romneyrants.blogspot.com/

Canda Mortensen http://candamortensen.blogspot.com

Jenna Eatough http://mistglenmoon.net/blog/

Starimprint: http://starimprint.blogspot.com/

Kaye P. Clark: http://kayepclarkwriter.blogspot.com/

Jenifer Lee: www.myfam-i-lee.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Endless Release

It's been a crazy few days of book promotions and holidays, but I wanted to formally announce the release of Endless, A Modern Cinderella Tale.




This book is one of my favorites I've written because the characters are so dear to me. Not only that, I got to take a recurring dream I'd had growing up, and write my own conclusion. Now I get to share it with all of you!

Here is the synopsis:

Sydney lives her nightmares every night. While other teenagers are dreaming of boys or traveling to exotic places, she must run a staircase with no beginning or no end, or a terrible debt will never be paid.
Just before her seventeenth birthday, the dreams change. She is no longer alone.
But her nightmares don’t end when she wakes up. Her stepmother and stepsisters threaten to ruin everything she holds dear. She must protect the secret that both she and her father have magic or they will use it to their advantage.
As Sydney learns to control her magic, what seemed impossible before—escaping her stepmother and those ever-present stairs—is now at her fingertips. When she learns the ultimate plan of her evil captor, Sydney must stop her at all costs, or she will forever be trapped inside her nightmares.




Juli Caldwell (Author of Psyched) had this to say about it: "Weist weaves a tale of magic and whimsy that will delight fans of fantasy as well as the original fairy tale. She stays true to Cinderella's roots while putting a modern spin on a classic. This is a must read!”


You can buy my book here: Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Also, tonight is the online launch party so feel free to join in! The link to that is here.


Also! I have a brand new website! I will continue to blog and post book reviews, etc on this blog, but I wanted a place to display my books and events. There's also an option to purchase my books there as well. That new website is www.jaclynweist.com


Be watching for the links to the blog tour. I hope to have those up soon!